First Day of School

What kind of mother would I be if I didnt blog about that?

Well I was all set to take a plethora of pics that morning. I got the kids up early and made them look FABULOUS, of course. I left a good 15 minutes to just snap pics.

And then the bus showed up 20 MINUTES EARLY! So much for my picture time. Savannah burst into tears, thinking she was going to miss the bus on her first day of kindergarten. I assured her, she would make it.

So I have very few, very bad, pictures of the kids, but I'll post them nevertheless.

So the rundown is this: The kids started school a week ago. Savannah, is starting kindergarten (and she was still 4, sweet ;) She was soooo excited. Anything social is up her alley. She was convinced she would be the smartest, cutest, funnest person in the whole class (she isn't lacking self confidence, I assure you). Mason was actually excited about this year, which he usually isn't. He started 3rd grade. He met his teacher the day before and seemed to really like her (I'm sure she didnt know that since he barely made eye contact with her, let alone spoke to her- but that's just Mason). He was thrilled that the ONE person in his class he is friends with, just ended up sitting right next to him, since they were seated alphabetically. I'm sure this made it much easier for him since he is so shy and doesnt dare speak up and get to know new people. Savannah, on the other hand, didn't care who she sat by, she was sure they would be her new best friend and think she was as fabulous as she thinks she is ;)

So they both had a great time and both are really liking their teachers. Savannah thinks school is amazing and pops out of bed each morning with a smile on her face and ready to go! Mason's attitude this year has been so much better about school, and I can't help but wonder if it's partially due to the later start time. He is NOT a morning person.

Anyway, so that's it. Here are the terrible pictures I snapped as my poor children ran for the bus ;)

The Early Bird's Reward

Those who know me know that I am a mother of 4, with a new baby. He doesnt sleep through the night yet, and yet I get up early morning each day to do triathlon training, and I have been doing so since he was a few weeks old. I often get asked "Why do you do that? What keeps you so motivated?" I have tried explaining to people that it's not the same as getting up to work out. When you are outdoors, in nature, there is much more to it than that. I get to see the sun rise. I get to feel the cool breeze on my skin. I get to hear nothing but silence. I get to see miles of wide open spaces. I get to feel peace and beauty each and every morning.

I can't tell you how many times I have been riding my bike and wished I had my camera along for the ride. There are so many beautiful things to see and I've wished I could capture them.
A few days ago, I was supposed to be going for a 6am ride with several of my friends, but for some reason, no one showed up. They must have cancelled but the phone chain didn't make it as far as me ;) I was waiting outside for them when I looked to the east and caught a glimpse of the morning sky. I went inside and grabbed my camera to capture one of the many things that keeps me motivated to get up so early each morning.

I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Race Report- RUSH Triathlon 2008

Seven weeks ago, Daniel and I had our 4th baby. I really wanted to do the RUSH triathlon that I did last year, but I just didnt know if there was any way I would be ready in time so as a compromise, we decided to do a team, with Daniel doing the swim, me doing the bike portion, and David running.


We arrived about 7 am. I think I was the only one of the three of us who was nervous! A few minutes before we started, they told us the women swimmers would go first, with the men starting 5 minutes later. So off went my friends and training buddies, and 5 minutes later, Daniel started with the men.

He came out in good time and I was off on the bike. I was feeling pretty good. I made it through the tough climbs, and about 6 miles in, I finished climbing a hill and headed into a flat. I shifted my gears back to my big ring for the flat and sure enough, my chain hopped right over the big ring and fell off! I tried to pedal it out and get it to catch, but no luck. So I hopped off and tried to get it back on. I can usually get it on in just a few seconds, but I was shaking and anxious, as each rider that passed me hollared, "SORRY!". It took me about 2 minutes to get it back on! I was so frustrated! So I knew I had to leave it all out there the rest of the time and hope to still get a respectable time. The rest of the course is easier, so it went well and since my bike is faster on the flats and the descents, I was able to move up quite a bit on this last portion.




As I came in and hopped off my bike, David took my timing chip and headed into the most hellacious 3.1 miles of his life (this run course is insane!). Daniel and I headed over to the finish to wait for him. While we did so, we were able to watch a couple of my friends finish.


We were expecting David to be a bit longer when all of the sudden we saw him finishing. He was much faster than we thought, which was great, considering my difficulties on the bike portion!



I was so happy to be able to participate even though I just had a baby. I was thrilled that Daniel and David both did so well on their portions (both came in second in our division on their portions). We ended up coming in 5th place, which wasn't quite as high as we wanted to come in, but realistically, it was a good performance considering I just had a baby, and Daniel and David have never done it before. We really enjoyed it. Daniel and I are both registered for Bear Lake Brawl on September 6th and we're trying to convince David to do it with us as well. It would be the first full one for both Daniel and David.

So that's how it went ;) Now I can say I participated in a triathlon 7 weeks post baby. Go me.

Kids Tri Harder Triathlon 2008

In this family we Tri, we really, really do. But the kids said they wanted to TRI Harder. So it is....

We are lucky enough to live in a place that has the cutest, funnest little triathlon for kids, called the Kids Tri Harder. Mason participated last year and loved it. Savannah wasn't old enough yet but she couldn't wait to do it this year.

The kids ages 4-7 swim once across the pool (25 m), then they bike around the block, then they run around the parking lot twice and through the big finish. The kids 8-12 do double those distances. They all get Tshirts, a goodie bag, and a finisher's medal, and then they announce winners at the end. The kids 4-6 are allowed to use flotation devices as well.

We arrived at 7:15 am for check in. Savannah's group would be first. They start them age by age, 1 year at a time, starting with the youngest. Last year, there were only 1-2 four year olds, but this year, she had one of the biggest divisions, which was fun. The girl is competitive, so I think she liked having some competition ;)

Here she is, outside, listening to the race director give instructions and looking so excited!!!


Then she hopped in the pool and waited for the starting whistle. Can you tell she enjoys the camera?



And then the whistle blew and she and the other 4 year olds and their floaties were off!! They swam their very fastest and kicked their little legs all the way across the pool, where Daddy helped her climb out and we ran out to transition 1. Here, she put on her bike helmet and shoes and she was off again! Daddy was able to run by her side to cheer her on. She was the only 4 year old without training wheels which made her much faster than her competition.



She was so much faster, in fact, that she was finishing the run before any of the other 4 year olds, even the boys, had begun. As she crossed the finish line, the announcer said, "And we have our very first finisher of the day!" And just like you would expect from Savannah, as she crossed the finish line, she gave me a pose ;)





She was so excited that she took first place. We didnt know it yet but she beat the next girl by 4 whole minutes (the rest of the 4 year olds finished within a minute of each other) and she was a full 2 minutes ahead of the fastest boy. Girl can MOVE!

She was thrilled to get her finisher's medal as well.

As soon as Savannah finished, we rushed back inside to see Mason preparing to get in for his swim.

Mason has not had swimming lessons at all so he did the backstroke. Of course the kids that had already had years of swimming lessons and could do the freestyle were out of the pool before he was, but Mason is pretty darn fast on his bike!

He was in third place going into the bike portion, and the kid in 4th place had this look of determination on his face- he really wanted to pass Mason. Mason kept looking over his shoulder and making sure he was going fast enough to stay ahead, and he was. Check out the picture below to see that look on the kid's face. It was kind of humorous!


As Mason went into the second lap of the bike, he came around the corner a little too fast and wiped out on his bike! That gave the boy behind him just the opportunity he was looking for, and he was able to pass Mason. But Mason got right back up, hopped back on and kept going. I was so proud of him for his determination!


Dan ran along side Mason to give him some moral support, and Mason was a trooper! He came in 4th place and was really happy about the whole thing. He said he can't wait to do another one!

Both kids had a great time and we took them out to eat afterwards to celebrate. Here they are with their medals:

Here are the kids who did the tri-the ones that stayed for the awards, which wasn't nearly all of them.

Mason and Savannah each after the awards ceremony:

And of course I had both kids give me a nice pose at the end!!

Now, if only I can get them to Try so hard at their chores.....